SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Tomas Holmstrom could not have imagined he would play this long when the Detroit Red Wings selected him with the 257th pick in the 1994 NHL entry draft, especially after all the abuse he has taken in front of the net for so many years and the injuries he has sustained.

But Holmstrom passed the 900-game mark this week, a testament to his competitiveness, resiliency and unique abilities.

“For sure, 900 is a big number,” Holmstrom said before playing in his 901st game Tuesday night in San Jose. “It doesn’t seem like 900, even though it’s been lots of years. Seems like it’s been going fast.”

“Everyone in our dressing room realizes how hard he plays and how hard he competes,” Draper said. “Some mornings, you see him and wonder, ‘How’s he going to go out and play tonight?’ His pain threshold is as high as I’ve ever seen with what he can put his body through.”

Said Red Wings coach Mike Babcock: “To me, that’s absolutely amazing that he can play that many games. He’s battled through the injuries for a long time and he just finds a way to keep on ticking. ... I think his competitiveness and battle level and just his overall fire make him a fantastic teammate.”

For years, Holmstrom was a fourth-line player and power-play specialist due to his knack for screening goaltenders and puck-tipping ability with his terrific hand-eye coordination.

When the league resumed play in 2005-06 after the lockout, new rules that cracked down on obstruction made it a faster game. Despite his lack of quickness, Holmstrom made the transition and earned a regular role on a top line with either Pavel Datsyuk or Henrik Zetterberg, and sometimes both.

“He’s done a real good job because he doesn’t play with the puck,” Babcock said. “He gets it back for them and stands in front of the net and stays out of the way. He’s one of those guys who’s found a way to be productive and doesn’t deviate from that.”

“He was the same player when he came in the league. And now, he’s (37) and still plays the exact same way, goes to the net and plays in straight lines,” Crawford said. “He has the ability to think at a high level. Obviously, he’s made a great career.”

Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom first met Holmstrom when they were teammates for Sweden in the 1996 World Cup, just weeks before Holmstrom joined the Red Wings. They quickly developed a friendship that now extends to their wives and families.

“He’s one of the best in the league at what he’s doing, tipping shots and creating traffic in front,” Lidstrom said. “It takes a lot of guts to go in front and battle. You get knocked down, pucks come flying in hard.”

Holmstrom ranks ninth in games played for the Red Wings, seven behind Kirk Maltby and Sergei Fedorov, who are tied for seventh.

“My first year, no way you would think you’d be eighth or ninth overall in Red Wings history,” Holmstrom said. “But years go by and you play games, you don’t think so much about it. Hopefully, I can reach 1,000. That would be fun. Just got to be healthy.

“Through the years, it’s been knees, the back, hernias, so I wonder how many games I lost because of that.”

New rules limiting the hacking and whacking by opposing defensemen and goalies in front of the net might have extended Holmstrom's career.

“He’s a competitive guy, works hard every day. That’s how he can stay the player he is,” Red Wings winger Johan Franzen said. “It’s probably better now with the new rules. Probably added a couple of years (to his career).”